Variable initial values
Variables have an initial value setting which represents the value it will be assigned at creation. This table shows what values are assigned to variables.
Variable type | Initial value |
---|---|
Non-collection | Either NOT_SET or literal |
Collection | Either an empty collection or a literal collection with items with values from literals |
By default, a collection variable’s initial value will be an empty collection. For non-collection variables, the default initial value will be NOT_SET unless it is one of the following types:
Variable | Default initial value |
---|---|
Boolean | false |
Currency | A currency with an amount of 0.0 and code of “USD” |
Collection data types | empty collection |
Decimal | 0.0 |
Duration | A duration of 0 milliseconds |
Integer | 0 |
String | “” |
How values are initialized at startup
Flow variables are initialized once, at startup. However, task variables are initialized each time a task starts. For example, if a task is called multiple times in a flow, the variables pick up the initial value setting each time. In other words, when a task ends, the variables go out of scope and are recreated in the next instance of the task.